My Panther Mate & Our Little Cub novel Chapter 60

Transmigrated to Raise Panther Cubs

Chapter 60 New Flavor Discovered

Yael let out a sly chuckle and quickly threw his arms around Matthew,

Ethan scooted over on his rear to squeeze in beside them. “Matthew, we’ll take over your chores in a bit.

“You just focus on resting”

“Exactly.” Yael agreed with a grin, shooting Ethan a knowing look.

Matthew didn’t bother shaking off the two human octopuses clinging to him. He just rolled/his eyes in exasperation. “Now that’s what I call true brothers.”

“Matthew’s the best.”

“We grew up together–we’re practically family.”

The two of them kept showering Matthew with flattery until they had “rightfully” helped themselves to a few pieces of his dried fish and jerky. When they finished, they licked their lips, still wanting more, and turned their eyes toward the glistening red river shrimp.

“Get lost,” Matthew said, giving them both a kick. “Don’t even think about the rest.”

“Geez, it’s not like we’re greedy or anything,” Yael said with a wave of his hand. “Back to work!”

Despite his words, he immediately dragged Ethan over to Zachary and mooched a few more bites.

Matthew could finally take his time savoring the food Zachary had prepared for him. But he had barely finished one shrimp when Kyle and Daniel, fresh from the hunt, caught the scent and drifted over.

The two of them sidled up shamelessly, getting straight to the point. “Man, Matthew, that smells amazing.”

They swallowed hard, their eyes glued to the food resting on the leaves.

Donald, the highly respected elder, sat down quietly next to Matthew and gave a little cough. “So, Matthew… I’ve always treated you pretty well, haven’t I?”

Matthew tried to salute

“What kind of nonse, at

was left of his rapidly dwindling stash, keeping a straight face. “Not really”

is that, kid?” Donald laughed heartily, clapping Matthew on the back hard enough

to knock down a moo beast.

With Kyle and Daniel practically drooling and Donald laying on the guilt trip, Matthew was cornered.

Of course, Matthew wasn’t one to cave to moral pressure, but he was still forced to soften up and surrender yet another half of his food.

When he saw the three of them wipe their mouths and eye him yet again, Matthew didn’t hesitate–he wolfed down everything that was left and held up the bare leaf for them to see.

With friends like these… Matthew grumbled to himself,

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Chapter 60 New Flavor Discovered

Finished

Their group was at the very front of the convoy. Donald and the others had caught a grunt–beast, and after butchering it on the spot, they threw the meat straight onto the fire to roast. A sprinkle of salt, and it was ready to eat.

The flavor couldn’t compare to home cooking, of course, so Zachary pulled out the chili powder and ginger powder he had brought along to season the meat.

The therians had helped Zachary dig out his caye before, so they had already had a taste of his cooking and hadn’t forgotten it since. They all crowded around, asking him to season their portions too.

Seeing that everyone could handle the heat, Zachary went ahead and sprinkled the seasoning straight across the rows of meat skewers.

Slurping and lip–smacking filled the air as everyone ate until sweat beaded on their foreheads, yet no one could stop.

“Amazing! This is incredible!”

“Zachary, what’s this stuff made from?”

The tribe already knew about ginger and wild onions–Zachary had taken them out foraging for those before–but so far, only Quincy and Elias could identify the chili peppers.

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“Chili peppers,” Zachary explained. “You roast them over a fire, then grind them into powder.” “Chili peppers?” Diego thought for a moment. “Is that the red, pointy thing you picked last time?” “That’s the one,” Zachary said. “Tastes pretty good, right?”

Diego and another sub–therian named Jeremy nodded eagerly. “Mixed with the meat, it’s amazing!” Zachary didn’t have a huge appetite, so after he finished eating, he went for a little walk to help digest.

Matthew wouldn’t let him wander far, so Zachary just poked around nearby, hoping to stumble onto something interesting.

Before long, he actually did find something.

A peppercorn tree!

The branches were heavy

with clusters of tiny red berries–absolutely gorgeous.

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“Quincy! Elias! Come quick!” Zachary called out excitedly.

Hearing the urgency in Zachary’s voice, Matthew thought he was in danger. He dropped his food and practically flew over. “What happened?”

“Nothing! I’m fine–I just found something new,” Zachary explained hurriedly.

The rest of the group came running over too, and the commotion made Zachary feel a little sheepish.

He pointed at the peppercorn tree. “This fruit will make meat taste even better.”

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Chapter 60 New Flavor Discovered

Finished

Daniel plucked one off, popped it into his mouth, and barely managed a single bite before his entire face scrunched up.

He spat it out frantically.

An intense numbing sensation flooded his mouth, sparing nothing from the tip of his tongue to the root, with a sharp, woody bite trailing behind it.

Seeing Daniel’s reaction. Kyle looked dubious. “Are you sure this is edible?”

Before Zachary could even answer, Quincy and Elias were already in motion, deftly plucking the berries and dropping them into their beast–hide bags.

Yael threw himself into it with gusto.

“You can’t eat them straight,” Zachary said. “They’re a seasoning–same as the chili and ginger.”

“If Zachary says they’re edible, they’re edible,” Elias urged. “Hurry up and start picking. We’ve still got road ahead of us.”

At that, the whole team jumped into action.

From a distance, the ripe peppercorns clung to the branches in dense clusters, like sparks flung from magma, or a scattering of tiny red stars.

Sharp–eyed Ethan spotted another tree deeper in the forest and shouted to the group. “Over here!”

His voice was, if anything, even louder than Zachary’s had been.

The pretty, pebbled red fruit huddled in tight clusters, and the whole area around the tree was suffused with a sharp, numbing fragrance.

Zachary wished he had extra pairs of arms as his hands moved non- -stop, stripping the stuffing them into his beast–hide bag.

peppercorns and

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